Fluid-controlling valve for governors.



H. D. JOHNSON.

FLUID CONTROLLING VALVE FOR GOVERNOR-S.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16. I9I 6.

Patented July 10, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

H. D. JOHNSON.-

FLUlD CONTROLLING VALVE FOR GOVERNORS.

APPLlCATlON FILE-D N0v.16. 1916;

1,232,557, Patented July 10, 1917.

ZSHEETS-SHEE] Z- firm/Mays HENRY D. JOHNSON, OF DUMFRIES, VIRGINIA.

FLUID-CONTROLLING VALVE FOR GOVERNORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1917.

. Application filed November 16, 1916. Serial No. 131,740.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY D. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Dumfries, in the county of Prince William and State of Virginia, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fluid-Controlling Valves for Governors, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a fluidcontrolling valve for governors, of that type wherein a fluid medium is employed for actuating the main controlling means of a valve, or of a motor, such as of a fluid motor of the turbine or reciprocating type.

It is an object of this invention to provide a fluid-controlling valve with a pilot valve connected to arelatively light centrifugal or ball-governor, the pilot valve being completely balanced so that it will respond to slight variations in speed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a fluid-controlling valve which is actuated by the governor to set the pilot valve, and wherein are employed a floating valve and a follower valve, which are automatically adjusted into a predetermined position and held positively in such position to maintain a constant and uniform speed of the motor to which the device is attached.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be brought out in the following specific disclosure of the present preferred embodiment of this invention, the same being illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a fluidcontrol for fluid motors or valves, showing the features of the present invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail longitudinal sectional view taken centrally through the fluidcon trolling valve.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 8, showing the an nular formation of the ports in the inner wall of the casing to completely balance the various valves therein.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged view, partly in section, of the bracket and the adjacent parts of the main and controlling valve cylinders, the view showing the arrangement of ports formed in the bracket.

Referring to these drawings, wherein like parts are designated by similar characters of reference throughout the several views, and referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a cylinder control for the gate opening nozzle or deflecting vane, com monly used for the control of fluid motors. In these figures, l0 designates a cylinderhaving guides 11 at one end between which a cross-head 12 is adapted to reciprocate and which has connection to a piston-rod 13 providedwith a piston head 14 located in the cylinder 10. The cylinder 10 is provided at one side with an upwardly extending web or bracket 15 in the upper part of which may be journaled a transversely extending shaft 16 having a drive pulley 17 on one end for attachment to the motor to be controlled, and having a bevel pinion 18 on its opposite end. The bracket 15 is provided with an extension arm 19 which overhangs the pinion or gear 18 and is. provided in its outer end with a vertically journaled governor shaft 20. A governor 21 is mounted upon the shaft 20 and may be of any adaptable form, such as of the ball type. A gear 22 is mounted upon the lower end of the governor shaft 20 and meshes with the gear wheel 18 to drive the governor 9.1 by the turning of the pulley 17.

Mounted against the outer side of the bracket or web 15, is the fluid-controlling valve of the invention. The valve, as may be best seen in Figs. 3 and 4, comprises a substantially cylindrical casing provided with a base flange at at its inner side adapted to seat against the bracket 15. The cylinder 23 is provided with a plurality of transverse ports which are spaced-apart throughout the length of the cylinder and which lead through the base flange 24. The intermediate port 25 is adapted for connection with pressure tanks or the like to lead the fluid into the cylindrical casing The next adjacent ports 26 lead to the opposite ends of the cylinder 10 through the correspondingly formed passageways in the web or bracket 15, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The end ports 27 are adapted for communication with sump tanks or the like into which the fluid may be discharged from either end of the cylinder as is hereinafter pointed out.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4-, each of these ports in the cylinder or casing 28 is substantially of the form of an annular groove in the inner wall of the casing, the groove merging into a channel whichis of substantially the width of the base flange 24 to thus equalize the pressure of the fluid in the ports at all sides of the cylinder. The upper end of the cylinder 23 is closed by a head 28, and the lower end of the cylinder closed by a head 29. The heads 28 and 29 are chambered to catch any fluid which may leak from the main cylinder 23 past the hereinafter described parts of the device, and bypass ports 30 are drilled in the heads and in the ends of the cylinder to return the leakage to the exhaust ports 27.

A floating valve or cylinder 31 is fitted snugly in the cylinder 23 and is of a length less than that of the cylinder to provide, adjacent to the heads 28 and 2S), equalizing chambers into which the fluid is admitted for reciprocating the floating valve 31 in the cylinder. This floating valve 31 is in the form of a substantially solid. cylindrical 'block,.and is provided at its inner side with a series of transverse slots 32 which are preferably formed with a milling cutter. In the inner side of this floating valve 31 is formed a longitudinally extending fluid chamber 33 which intersects the slots 32. The slots 32 correspond in number to the ports'in the casing 23 and are adapted to register therewith when the parts are in normal position as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The chamber is provided with an inner cylindrical wall in which is fitted a follower valve, the latter being made up of three sections, the opposite end sections 3% and 35, and an intermediate disk section 36. A stem 37 connects these sections, holds the same in properly spaced-apart relation, and extends downwardly through the lower head 29. The lower end of the stem 37 is provided with a shoe 38 which bears against a wedge-cam 39 mounted on a longitudinally extending trackway 4-0 carried upon the outer side oi the cylinder 10. A rod 41 leads from the cam 39 to the cross-head 12 and is pivotally connected thereto as shown for the purpose of sliding the cam 39 with the crosshead 12. The cam 39 is of sufficient length to be in constant contact with the shoe 38, and has an upper inclined face the lower end of which is at the outer end of the cylinder 10, away from the guides 11.

A pilot valve 42, in the form of a stem, extends downwardly from beneath the governor shaft 20 into the front of the casing 23. The lowerend of the pilot valve 412 terminates in the lower head 29, and is provided with a longitudinally extending chamber or here which may be formed from the lower end of the stem upwardly. This bore con stitutes a fluid passage 43 in the pilot valve. The passage a3 is divided into upper and lower fluid compartments by a partition plug 414-, and the lower end of the passage 4-3 is closed by a plug lEthreaded, or otherwise suitably secured, in the lower end of the stem. The passage 43 is provided near its opposite end with outlet ports a6 which open into the equalizing chambers 47 formed between the opposite ends of the floating valve 31 and the heads 28 and 29. The pilot valve 1 is also provided with ports l8 arranged substantially opposite the exhaust ports 27 in the cylinder 23. At the opposite sides of the partition plug 44L- the stem 4&2 is provided with a third set of ports 50 adapted to register one at a time with the inlet port 25 of the cylinder 23. The floating valve 31 1s prov1ded in its outer side with apertures or passages 19 arranged. opposite to the end ex haust ports 27 and the intermediate inlet port 25 of the casing. These passages 4-9 permit comnnilnication between the ports'in the cylinder and the passage 43 in the pilotvalve 42.

In operation, the pilot valve or stem 4-2 is connected to the governor 21 and is adapted to be raised upon acceleration of the governor. As the pilot valve 42is raised, the lowest port 50 is brought into'register, more or less, with the adjacent passage 49 which is arranged opposite to the inlet port 25 of the casing. ,Fluid under pressure is theresteady movement of the floating valve 31 i and prevents any fluctuation or vibration of the same. Normally, the valve disk 36 closes the intermediate transverse slot ct the floating "alve, and thus prevents entry of the fluid under pressure into the chamber 33 of the floating valve. The upward movement of the floating valve, however, uncovers the slot and fluid under pressure is permitted to enter the chamber 33 from the port 25.. The fluid passes from the chamber 33 through the upper outlet port-26 into one end of the cylinder 10, thus moving the pis ton let in the desired direction. Simultaneously, the lowermost slot 32 is moved out of register with the lower plug or section 35 of the follower valve, and fluid in the opposite end of the cylinder 10 is permitted to pass back through the lower port 26 and out through the lower exhaust port 27 into the sump tank, or the like;

In order to maintain the parts of this valve normally in this position and thus hold the piston 14; in the desired location in the cylinder 10, the wedge cam 39 is so proportioned as to raise the shoe 3,8 and its stem gh the 37, and thus lift the follower valve until it assumes the same relative position with respect to the pilot valve 42 and the floating valve 31, as is shown in Fig. 3. Thus, for the new accelerated speed the parts are brought to a normal inactive position. Any further acceleration of the speed will cause the floating valve 31 to further advance upwardly, and will accordingly affect the rise of the follower valve by reason of any shifting of the piston head 1 It is of course understood that an opposite result will be obtained upon the decrease of speed to any desired degree. In this case, the pilot valve 12 is lowered gradually and the fluid pressure is admitted through the inlet port 25 to lower ends of the floating valve 31, and the pilot valve 42. The fluid in the cylinder 10 is permitted to escape into the sump tank through the ports in the upper ends of the valve members. The shoe 38 may be provided with grooves or inclined flanges adapted to fit about the outstanding flanges of the wedge-cam 39, to positively draw the follower valve downwardly when the cam is retracted, or any other desired arrangement may be had for affecting the downward movement of the follower valve when the wedge is drawn backwardly.

It is of course understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being within the scope of the following claims.

Whatis claimed is:

1. In a fluid-controlling device, the combination of a controlling cylinder having a piston therein, a rod projecting outwardly from the piston, and a crosshead mounted on the outer end of the rod, a fluid-controlling valve mounted above the cylinder and having a pilot valve stem projecting upwardly therefrom, and having a follower valve stem projecting downwardly therefrom, a governor mounted over said fluidcontrolling valve and having connection with said pilot valve to raise and lower the same by the variation in speed of the governor, a trackway extending along the outer side of the controlling cylinder, a wedgecam slidably mounted on said trackway, a connecting rod connecting said cross-head to the wedge cam and a shoe on the lower end of said follower valve stem for contact with the cam to raise and lower the follower valve by the movement of the piston.

2. In a fluid-controlling valve, a casing having a base portion at one side and a plurality of spaced-apart transversely extending ports extending from side to side of the casing and opening through said base, a floating valve fitting in said cylinder and having a chamber therein at one'side adjacent said ports with openings arranged opposite to said ports, a follower valve mounted in said chamber of the floating valve to control the passage of fluid through said ports and said chamber, and a pilot valve seated in the opposite side of said floating valve and having ports'therein adapted to register at times with said ports in the easing to direct the fluid for controlling the movement of said floating valve.

8. In a fluid-controlling valve for governors, a casing having a cylindrical bore, and a base portion at one side, a plurality of ports leading to said base portion and extending around the inner wall of the casing, a floating valve fitting in said cylindrical bore of the casing and having transverse slots in one side opposite to said base portion and having openings in its opposite side adapted to register with said ports in the casing, a pilot valve seated in said floating valve and adapted to control the passage of fluid through the ports therein, and

a follower valve mounted in said floating e valve for controlling the passage of fluid from said ports in the easing into said slots in the floating valve.

4. In a fluid-controlling valve for governors, a casing having a cylindrical bore therein and a base portion at one side of the bore, said casing also having a plurality of ports leading to said base portion and extending around the inner wall of said bore, the intermediate one of said ports being adapted to admit fluid under pressure into said casing, the next adjacent port being adapted to admit fluid under pressure from the easing into the opposite ends of a controlling cylinder, and the opposite end ports being adapted to exhaust fluid from the opposite ends of the cylinder through the casing and into a discharge, a floating valve having ports in one side adapted to register with the ports in the casing, and having a chamber in its opposite side with openings leading therefrom for registry "with said ports in the casing, a pilot valve seated in the floating valve in said first side thereof and having ports therein adapted to register with said ports of the floating valve and with the opposite ends of the casing to actuate the floating valve, and a follower valve seated in said floating valve in the chamber therein for controlling the passage of fluid under pressure through the easing into the follower valve and into the opposite ends of the said controlling cylinder.

'5. In combination with a controlling cylinder having a piston therein, a piston rod leading outwardly from the piston, and a cross-head connected to the outer end of said rod, a casing mounted above the cylinadmitting fluid under pressure to the casing,

directing fluid into the opposite ends of the vlinder, and permitting the exhaust of the fluid from the cylinder up through the cusing, it floating valve in the casing having slots in one side thereof registering with said ports, a pilot valve extending into the casing and having openings therein adapted to register With said ports in the casing for controlling the movements of the floating valve, and a follower valve pro1ecting into the casing and having connection with said cross-head to move therewith and maintain Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 'of Patents.

Washington, I). G. 

